The COVID-19 pandemic is turning once-commonplace products like disinfectant wipes into prized commodities. Now companies are developing what they hope will be the next big thing: fabrics treated with chemicals that, if the claims are true, can kill the novel coronavirus. In contrast, the virus was only shown to survive for up to 6 hours on polycotton and 24 hours on clothes made from 100% cotton. Researchers say that the virus was able to spread onto other surfaces through all three materials, meaning it's especially important for all frontline workers to have their garments cleaned to hospital standards.

As the pandemic has continued encompassing the globe, scientists have learned more about how long the virus can survive on an open surface and if that is a key component of transmission. The authors of a 2020 study reported that SARS-CoV-2 is more stable on smooth surfaces, such as glass or metal. But the pandemic has created an interest in antiviral fabrics, and enterprising companies are responding. Textiles treated with chemicals aimed at destroying SARS-CoV-2 particles (SARS-CoV-2 is the official name of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19) are turning up in everything from face masks to men’s dress shirts. By taking their uniforms home, workers run the risk of contaminating their home environment, including the washing machine, because unlike in-house or industrial laundries, there is no segregation of laundry based on designated soiled and clean areas,” she noted . “If nurses and healthcare workers take their uniforms home, they could be leaving traces of the virus on other surfaces.”A front-runner in the antiviral textile business is Intelligent Fabric Technologies North America (IFTNA), a Toronto-based biotech company that produces a fabric treatment called Protex (officially known as PROTX2AV). The company’s lab tests have shown that Protex can kill 99.9 percent of SARS-CoV-2 particles within 10 minutes. In light of Laird’s research, she does not recommend washing health care uniforms at home since that could further spread the virus. Further investigation revealed that adding detergent and increasing the water temperature to at least 67 degrees Celsius, or 152 degrees Fahrenheit, can inactivate the virus. Geng Y, Wang Y. Stability and transmissibility of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the environment. Journal of Medical Virology. 2023;95(1):e28103. doi:10.1002/jmv.28103

Still, “spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be a common way that COVID-19 spreads,” the CDC notes. Precautions, such as physical distancing, quarantining, and self-isolating, can help reduce the risk of direct transmission. However, respiratory droplets can fall on objects and surfaces. SARS-CoV-2 can enter a person’s body if they touch these surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. Wear gloves when doing laundry. Wash the hands with warm water and soap immediately after removing the gloves. If gloves are not available, wash the hands immediately after handling dirty clothing and avoid touching the face.Researchers at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) in the United Kingdom applied model droplets of another coronavirus called HCoV-OC43, which is structurally similar to the COVID-19 spike protein. Infectious diseases specialists are not convinced that antiviral clothes could have a significant protective function. The material was described as polyester, & they weren’t wrong about that. I would have described it as plastic & horrible. The study was conducted by De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester and set out to investigate how the material that healthcare worker uniforms are typically made from respond to the virus. The research revealed that polyester is the fabric that the virus clings to for the longest amount of time (being able to survive up to three days).

We've been living with COVID-19 for over a year now and in that time have learnt a lot about effective ways to prevent the virus from spreading – from wearing a face mask, to the impact mouthwash can have, to receiving a vaccine. Now, research has shown that the virus can survive on certain items of clothing for up to 72 hours and can also be transferred on to other surfaces via the fabric. I bought the T shirt in the hope that it might pleasantly surprise me. It looked great in the photo & I thought it worth a chance. All the evidence suggested otherwise. The company is currently awaiting approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to market Protex as effective at destroying the novel coronavirus. Even if COVID-19-fighting apparel begins flooding stores, the protection trifecta of mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing recommended by infectious disease specialists won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The best-case scenario for antiviral fabrics is that they might offer another weapon in the arsenal. Protex-treated fabrics, he says, offer an additional measure of safety and peace of mind. “It’s not like you have to remember to put hand sanitizer on every two minutes,” he says.Disinfect laundry baskets with 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or one of these household disinfectants, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved. When the pandemic first started, there was very little understanding of how long coronavirus could survive on textiles,” Laird said. “Our findings show that three of the most commonly used textiles in healthcare pose a risk for transmission of the virus.” On the fabric sample that was 100 percent cotton, the virus lasted for a single day, while the dosage on the polycotton sample only survived for six hours. The National Health Service (NHS) of the U.K. has reportedly recommended industrial laundering of health care practitioner’s clothing. If this is not possible, washing and drying uniforms at home is the next best practice. Although current research findings and guidance from public health authorities provide insight on how to reduce viral transmission on surfaces, the same is not true for clothing and other textiles.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Science brief: SARS-CoV-2 and surface (fomite) transmission for indoor community environments. He adds, “I’m sure the material does inactivate the virus, but if so, so what? You’d still get [COVID-19] the way everyone else is getting COVID-19.” Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.In this section, we cover what to do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while doing laundry. How to disinfect clothes at home Disinfection requires the use of chemicals that kill germs. Disinfecting hard surfaces and textiles after cleaning them can further reduce the risk of spreading infections. He gives an example of how antiviral fabric might reduce the chance of infection for someone who touches a contaminated surface. “If someone sneezes on a bench, then you sit on it and wipe your hands on your pants and then touch your nose, that’s a big area where we can see [Protex] working. It’s prevention in day-to-day life.”